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it's official, lampe signed with the knicks a 3 year deal for 2,88 million
Enjoy the reading

Originally Posted by NY Post

Maciej Lampe, the 7-foot Polish teenager whose freefall from lottery status on draft night turned into a possible windfall for the Knicks, yesterday signed a three-year deal worth an estimated $2.88 million. Not bad for a second-round pick.

Lampe, picked at No. 30, needed to be released from his contract with Real Madrid before the Knicks could bring him into the fold. European contracts usually have a $350,000 buyout, but this one started at $2 million.

There was a "considerable" reduction in the buyout and exact terms still were being hammered out. The Knicks will pay the customary $350,000; the rest will be up to Lampe.

Neither side would comment on any details of Lampe's deal.

The 18-year-old, who will make an appearance today at one of the Knicks' summer camps - this one at Chelsea Piers - played for the Knicks summer league teams in both Boston and Salt Lake City. In 11 games he averaged 12.9 points and 4.8 rebounds. [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

other articles:

Originally Posted by NYKNICKS.com

NEW YORK, August 13, 2003 ? New York Knickerbockers President and General Manager Scott Layden announced today that second-round draft choice Maciej Lampe had been signed to a contract with the team and released from his contract with Real Madrid in Spain. As per club policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The 6-11, 240-pound forward participated in the team?s entries at the Reebok Pro Summer League in Boston, MA and the Reebok Rocky Mountain Revue in Salt Lake City, UT this past July. In 11 total games, Lampe averaged a team-leading 12.9 points per game and 4.8 rebounds and was named to the All-Revue team in Utah.

Lampe, 18, became the 30th overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft and had been playing professionally in Europe for the past two seasons with Real Madrid and Real Madrid II in the Spanish League and Universidad Complutense in the Swedish League. [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

Originally Posted by NY Times

Almost from the moment that the Knicks set their sights on forward Maciej Lampe, they have had to hold their breath.

First, they waited through the N.B.A. draft on June 27 until their second-round choice, No. 30 over all, came up and they were able to select Lampe. Then they had to wait to find out if he would be allowed to join the team.

Finally, the Knicks can exhale. After six weeks of negotiations, Lampe, 18, signed a three-year contract yesterday. Lampe and the Knicks had to buy out his contract with Real Madrid of the Spanish League, then the Knicks had to reach an agreement with Lampe's agent, Keith Kreiter.

The Knicks earlier signed their other two picks: Mike Sweetney (ninth over all) and Slavko Vranes (39th).

"I could not be happier for Maciej," Kreiter said after the two met in New York with Knicks executives to sign the deal. "We're completely thrilled. He's excited to look forward to the next stage of his life."

Lampe, listed by the Knicks at 6 feet 11 inches and 240 pounds, signed with Real Madrid when he was 15. He was paid just $50,000 last season to play mainly for Real Madrid's minor league team.

But the contract, which ran through 2008, included a buyout that was worth about $2 million, a figure his representatives have worked to reduce since before the draft.

The Knicks were allowed to pay only $350,000 toward the buyout. To help Lampe pay his share, the Knicks used part of their midlevel salary cap exception, according to a person close to the negotiations.

That enabled them to pay Lampe a bit less than $3 million over three seasons, far above the rookie minimum of $367,000 that the team was obligated to pay him as a second-round pick.

According to the same person, Real Madrid agreed to a buyout figure, with the payment schedule still to be determined.

Lampe had been projected by some as a lottery choice in the draft, but the complications of his buyout scared off other teams.

After being drafted, Lampe had a rough start in the Boston summer league, where he averaged 9.3 points and 3.0 rebounds in five games. But he earned all-league honors in the Rocky Mountain Revue, averaging 17.2 points and 7 rebounds in six games, including a 25-point, 11-rebound effort against the Dallas Mavericks' summer league squad.

He impressed scouts the most with his perimeter shooting, but the Knicks wasted little time working him inside to help their size-deficient roster. In summer league play, he spent time at center. The Knicks started 6-8 Kurt Thomas at center last season.

Lampe arrived in New York this week after playing with the Polish national team the last few weeks. He was voted most valuable player in the European championship qualifying tournament.[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

Originally Posted by ESPN

After a slow summer-league start, Knicks second-round pick Maciej (Mah-gee for those reading out loud) Lampe has demonstrated all-around skills that, as one assistant GM said, will "help" the Knicks next season. His road to redemption for not being taken in the first round, though, got tougher with New York acquiring Keith Van Horn. The general consensus is that Lampe's best shot is as a perimeter-shooting small forward, which is exactly what Van Horn is -- and Keith's contract assures he'll get a long first look. ... If you want an overlooked Euro talent, check out the Suns' Zarko Cabarkapa. At 6-foot-11, he was leading breaks and fearlessly jamming on anyone and everyone -- including Lampe, whom he abused. Check out his hands -- they're so big they look like fruit bats hanging off his wrists. ... The Jazz's two undersized point guards, Raul Lopez and rookie Mo Williams, both are looking good in the Rocky Mountain Revue, but Utah still will look at possibly adding Shammond Williams. ... New Pacers president Larry Bird also attended the Revue. Maybe it's just me, but when Larry is in the gym, even in street clothes, the proceedings somehow take on an added luster. ... Coaches George Karl and Rick Carlisle are both going to sit out the season and do TV work instead. Friends close to Doug Collins say he is taking the year off entirely. [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

Originally Posted by NY Daily News

Maciej Lampe may not be the next Dirk Nowitzki, but at least he won't be the second coming of Frederic Weis either.

Lampe, the Knicks' second-round pick, signed a three-year contract with the team yesterday after the Polish national and Knicks president Scott Layden finalized a buyout with Lampe's European club, Real Madrid.

Lampe's contract with the Knicks will pay him approximately $2.7 million over the next three seasons. The contract is a lucrative deal for a second-round pick in light of the fact that all the Knicks were required to pay Lampe was the NBA minimum, approximately $300,000.

Of course, Lampe would have received a bigger contract had he been a lottery pick. The 18-year-old, 7-footforward was projected to go as high as No. 5 but slipped into the second round mainly over concerns over a buyout clause in his contract, which was worth $2.5 million.

Layden met with officials of Real Madrid last week in Spain to negotiate Lampe's buyout clause. Lampe's buyout is believed to be for $900,000. Under league rules the Knicks can pay only $350,000 of it.

The Knicks consider the signing of Lampe a significant move, especially since the team has been unable to sign Weis and Milos Vujanic, two other highly touted European players they had drafted previously.

Lampe showed promise in the summer league, averaging 12.9 points in 11 games. But remember, former Knick Lavor Postell put up solid numbers in the summer league for three years but rarely played during the season.

Lampe is also joining a roster that has 10 players under contract who are 6-7 or taller, including Antonio McDyess who could miss the 2003-04 season after having left knee surgery last April.

Layden has been trying to trade the 6-9 Thomas all summer, preferably for a legitimate center. With seven weeks before training camp opens, and the Knicks having a glut of forwards on their roster, there is a strong possibility that Layden will make another move.

Either way, it will be difficult for Lampe to find minutes. Age-wise, he should be a college freshman, but the Knicks will be patient with their young forward.

Lampe averaged 18.6 points in the second division last season. In five games with Real Madrid, Lampe scored a total of 10 points.

"I think it will be a difficult adjustment for him," said the Grizzlies' Pau Gasol, who was a star player in Spain before joining the NBA. "I always thought you had to dominate in Europe before you can play in the NBA. He only played in the second division. That's a big jump." [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

Originally Posted by Yahoo! Sports

NEW YORK (Ticker) - Polish forward Maciej Lampe, whose contract status caused him to tumble into the second round of the NBA draft, signed with the New York Knicks on Wednesday.

Terms were not disclosed. As the 30th pick overall and the first pick of the second round, Lampe was not entitled to any guaranteed money. However, he was projected as a mid-first-round pick prior to the draft.

The 6-11 Lampe signed with Spanish League powerhouse Real Madrid in 2000 but played primarily for minor league teams. He played just 11 games over two years with the parent club.

Real Madrid circulated information on draft day that Lampe's contract had a buyout of $1.8 million. Lampe claimed to have a letter from FIBA claiming there was no buyout because Lampe signed with Real Madrid when he was 16, making the deal invalid.

Nevertheless, Lampe dropped out of the first round, and the Knicks grabbed him in the second round.

In two summer leagues, Lampe averaged 12.9 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. He was named to the All-Revue Team in Utah.

Although not a physical player, Lampe gives the Knicks some much needed size but also creates a glut at power forward. In addition to drafting Mike Sweetney in the first round, the Knicks have Kurt Thomas, Antonio McDyess, Keith Van Horn, Clarence Weatherspoon, Othella Harrington and Travis Knight, all of whom can play power forward[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]